The Exciting Real Life Benefits of Juicing
Juicing can be a fun and simple way to provide your body with remarkable nutrition and it has incredible and exciting real life benefits you can start enjoying from day one. There are also some drawbacks to juicing and I’ll address those in this article as well.
A lot of you know I am a busy mom of two little boys living in the heart of the Midwestern United States. A few months ago I started juicing. In all honesty this was my second attempt at juicing. The first attempt didn’t go so well. Learn more about that experience in my video down below which features what I found to be the simple way to juice. It’s by no means a comprehensive all-inclusive video, but it’s a good glance into the world of juicing.
I started juicing for the life changing benefits that juicing can have on the human body. I have lived with Fibromyalgia for almost a decade now and juicing is one of the ways I feel better. In my book Fibromyalgia Fighter I talk about all of the natural remedies I use to feel better and live my best life even with Fibromyalgia – check it out.
If you don’t feel like eating three apples a day plus oranges, bananas, cucumbers, and other produce then you may want to consider juicing them. Juicing fresh veggies and fruits allow all of the vitamins and antioxidants to pool together into one awesome tasting solution! This article is here to explain to you all of the benefits of juicing your fruits and veggies rather than eat them whole. You will definitely be surprised what a cup of fresh fruit juice can do for you.
Juicing can reduce inflammation, reverse the effects our harsh modern world and just overall help you to feel great. Let’s explore these benefits of juicing in more detail.
1. You Can Consume More Fruits & Vegetables
There are only so many fruits and vegetables you can actually EAT. Your mouth only moves so fast and there are only so many hours in a day. If you’re a busy mom like me on most days you barely have time to pee, yet alone eat constantly. That’s one reason I turned to juicing.
If you make juicing a part of your daily life, you’ll consume far more fruits and vegetables than you would if you had to eat them in their whole form.
For instance, yesterday I consumed three apples, 7 carrot stalks, an entire heart of celery, a kiwi, three generous handfuls of spinach and a knuckle of raw ginger. If I was actually EATING that food I’d be lucky to get in an apple and some carrot sticks. Juicing makes getting your recommended daily intake of fruits and vegetables so much easier.
2. Go Easy on Your Digestion
Juicing is a great way to give your digestive system a break. Juicing essentially skips the chewing process, meaning fruits and vegetables reach your digestive system in a more easily digestible form.
Instead of having to break down all of the roughage to find the nutrients, your body can easily absorb those nutrients because the fruit and veg are in liquid form. Your body won’t have to work as hard to break down the food and pull out the nutrients it needs.
Mastication (chewing) is the first step of digestion, and juicing is a way of skipping that step. Many times we don’t chew our food enough, which leads to indigestion. This is especially true for raw fruits and vegetables which require a lot of chewing to get them broken down.
*** Oh, PS by the way, this is the juicer I recommend and it’s a masticating juicer. It’s a little pricey but SO worth it because it doesn’t strip all of the nutrients from the juice. ***
3. Provides Energy
Are you tired of the afternoon slump? I know I was! It would be two in the afternoon and I’d want to nap with my then 4-year-old son. When I started juicing I noticed I could actually keep my eyes open and skip nap time. Bonus!
Juicing fruits and vegetables is a great way to get an instant rush of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants to help power you through your day with natural, real energy.
Unlike caffeine which just stimulates your body, the clean energy from fruit and veg in juicing gives you clarity and gentle energy. These foods have absorbed the power of the sun, and they relay that energy to you, while at the same time helping nearly every system in your body.
These fruits and vegetables also contain antioxidants which will help limit the amount of oxidative stress on your body. Everyone can use help with oxidative stress but particularly those with auto-immune disorders should consider juicing. I have added this as part of my daily regiment. You can find more about how I fight Fibromyalgia naturally by getting my book – Fibromyalgia Fighter. Seriously it’s just a dollar on Kindle! (Don’t have Kindle? Just download the Kindle app on your smartphone or tablet for Apple or Android.)
4. Help Detoxify Your Body
I love to binge watch documentaries on Netflix. There are a ton of them about food. Every one I’ve watched has mentioned the amazing detoxing benefits of juicing. Plants have been found to reverse ailments in the body, primarily due to their ability to rid of the body of what it doesn’t need.
Juicing provides essential minerals and nutrients that the body needs to help effectively get rid of toxins in the liver, colon, and other organs.
While any juicing will help the body detox, there are also specific detox juice blends. These juices are created with fruits and vegetables specifically chosen to help cleanse key organs of the body.
5. Aid in Staying Hydrated
Juicing helps hydrate internal organs so they function well. If you find it hard to drink water throughout the day then juicing might be a good solution for you.
Fruits and vegetables naturally retain various levels of water. Juicing them releases the water they contain. That means you’re getting the water in the fruit along with the vitamins and minerals contained within them.
6. Naturally Fight Stress
One of the best things about juicing is how versatile it is. You can tailor your juices to a desired effect, juicing up certain fruits and vegetables depending on how you want to feel. Just as some concoctions can help you have more energy, others can help you deal with stress and calm you down.
7. Have Stronger Bones
Getting high quality calcium into the body each day is essential, and juicing can help with that in a big way.
Juicing provides the best opportunity to get massive amounts of high-calcium vegetables and fruits into the body in the least amount of time.
Certain fruits and vegetables high in calcium can be a better way to meet your daily calcium requirements need than through milk and dairy products. Dairy is naturally high in fat, can promote high cholesterol and be hard to digest.
8. Greater Longevity
By now it’s probably easy to see why juicing would aid in living a longer life. While this isn’t true for everyone it can be true for most due to the way juicing helps all of your vital organs.
Fruits and vegetables are always making the news for their ability to help stave off cancer and heart disease, two of the top killers known to man. By constantly feeding the body the things it needs you’ll be displacing unhealthy foods and avoiding the toxic effect they have on the body.
Without juicing, you’re less likely to consume the daily required amount of fruits and vegetables needed to live a long and healthy life. Even if you take a multivitamin there is no guarantee on the quality or effectiveness of the vitamin and there is no replacement for the vitamins in fresh raw produce.
9. Get Better Sleep
When it’s time to rest a hormone called Melatonin is naturally released into the body. One way to make sure your body has what it needs to release that hormone is by taking in foods that contain melatonin. These include oranges, tomatoes and cherries among others. Try juicing these foods to help promote a better night’s rest.
Quick note — pay special attention to your body in the night time and honor how it feels. If your body is tired around 8 or 9 don’t force yourself to stay awake. Trust me I did this for years and all it does is fight your body’s natural desire to rest. This then trains your body over time to fight rest and that is when you end up with a sleep disorder.
Listen to your body. When you get tired go to bed. Whatever you didn’t get done that night can wait until the next morning. If you need to you can get up earlier since you went to bed earlier.
10. Boost Your Brain Power
The right mix of fruits and vegetables can kick your brain into gear more effectively than any energy drink.
Green smoothies are perhaps the most effective way to get your brain moving. Choose any green, leafy vegetable and you’ll be surprised how great you feel after drinking it down. It may not have the same buzz that a caffeinated energy drink has, but if you try to focus you’ll see that you can, and it’s something that is sustainable without any negative side effects or long term problems.
Other great juicing choices for enhanced brain function include kale, sprouts, beets, ginger, turmeric, and coconut water.
11. Get Glowing Skin
Since I started juicing I’ve had more compliments on my skin! Honestly I am blown away by the effects too. My skin looks nourished, youthful and bright. Granted, some of this is due to the supplements I take no doubt, but it’s also due to juicing.
There are many needed nutrients in fruits and vegetables that improve the beauty of your skin. It also provides a natural detox for your body which leads to clear, healthy skin.There are a plenty of juices that you can drink to get beautiful and glowing skin.
12. Stay Alkaline
What does it mean to be in an alkaline state? It means that the pH of your body is in a more alkaline rather than acidic state. The body is always trying to maintain equilibrium at a pH of 7.365, which is slightly alkaline. If your body is in a very acidic state, it will seek balance, and may do so by drawing nutrients from your bones.
To get the benefits of alkalinity from juicing make sure you are juicing plenty of green, leafy vegetables like spinach, kale, collard greens, and Swiss chard. These green leafy vegetables tend to have the greatest benefits of juicing when it comes to the alkaline state of the body.
Quick Note: Juicing is a quick way to deliver lots of nutrients to your body but be aware it also strips out the naturally occurring fiber in fruit. The fiber in fruit helps your body absorb and process the natural sugars. So this being said you may want to consider adding in fiber to your juice like I do. I use Benefiber powdered fiber because it dissolves completely and I can add it to any drink. You may also want to consider getting some servings of fresh produce by good ol’ fashioned eating.
Quick Juicing Tips to Get the Most Benefits of Juicing
Now that you know the benefits of juicing let’s talk about some simple things you can do to maximize your juicing experience to make sure you’re getting the greatest benefits of juicing.
1. Fresh is Best
When it comes to fruits and veggies, it turns out they are better fresh rather than frozen or canned, and so are the juices that they produce. But even if you’re eating fresh produce every day there’s still a problem. Most produce travels about 1,500 miles to get to your local market. This is a cause for concern because produce is at it’s peak the moment it is picked. Think of an apple, it’s at it’s maximum ripeness the moment it is picked because it is from that moment onward that the apple begins to die. That means by the time it reaches your super market, it has 40% nutritional value. You’d have to eat three apples to get the value of one apple.
2. Go Organic
Use organic fruits and vegetables in your juicing. Organic fruits and vegetables have not been exposed to the chemical fertilizers and pesticides used in traditional farming. If you cannot use organic produce, be sure to thoroughly wash and peel everything before you put it in the juicer. The peel will contain the greatest amount of the harmful chemicals.
3. Start with What You Know
At the beginning of a juicing program, make juices out of fruits that you already enjoy eating. This will ensure that you enjoy the juice while still receiving some health benefits. If you start juicing using fruits you’ve never tried before, you may not like the juice and you’re unlikely to continue making them, meaning that obviously won’t gain any benefits.
4. Keep Things Clean
Remember that vegetable and fruit remnants left on a juicer after juicing have the potential to grow mold quickly. Cleaning your juicer parts right away helps stop the growth of mold. Dismantle the juicer clean the parts and rinse with water until clean. If you must use a detergent then use one that is very mild.
If you can’t clean your juicer right away then be sure to soak it in warm soapy water until you can get back to it to clean it.
5. Stock Up
When preparing for a juice lifestyle, make sure to stock a LOT of fresh fruits and vegetables! On average, it takes 2-5 pounds of raw fruits and vegetables to make just a single quart of juice – depending on which juicer you purchase.
Also make sure to get a large variety of ingredients so that you don’t get bored with the same old juice.
The best place to find the freshest produce for juicing at great prices is at a local farmer’s market. Often, they are held once a week during the summer and fall months, and you’ll find everything sold on a farm, including meat, eggs, dairy, baked goods, canned goods, and TONS of fresh fruit and vegetables!
6. Store Your Juice
If you absolutely must store your juice after you make it, be sure to store it in a completely air-tight container. My favorite are good ol’ glass Ball brand mason jars.
Letting air get at it will start a process which breaks down the nutrients in the juice, leaving a tasty but empty drink that won’t provide you with the healthy benefits you were looking for in the first place.
As you can see, there are many benefits to juicing at home. With the great variety of fruits and vegetables available, you can begin making your own tasty beverages to give yourself a daily nutritional boost. You deserve a healthy lifestyle and juicing is a wonderful way to pamper yourself.
